Can I activate dollar-store shutters via the fan relay? - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

Xist · 06-27-2015, 07:00 PM

I made this grill block and air dam: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...dam-30382.html

read this thread: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ore-29966.html

and bought these shutters: Vent-Miser 91668 Programmable Energy Saving Vent, 12-by-6-Inches, White - Heating Vents - Amazon.com

and now it is warm enough that my car starts to overheat when I drive uphill. So, I read these threads (and others):

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post421236
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...html#post93371

and I still do not know where to go. It sounds like the fan indicator light receives more power than an LED needs, but would it be enough to activate the shutters? How would I get them closed afterwards? Can I bypass the wireless setup and run a wire from the fuse box to the shutters?

Thank you very much for any help that you may provide! Please enjoy your day!

Occasionally6 · 06-28-2015, 06:45 AM

The shutter motor operates at 3V so you need to organise that whatever else you do. That's easy with a voltage regulator fed with "12V".

Then you want the shutter motor to operate for long enough to move the shutters full travel in one direction when the cooling fan comes on and the other direction when the fan is switched off, right?

One way to achieve the motor pulse would be to use a 555 set up as a one shot. See here for example (7, 8 & 9):

555 timer

You'll need two 555 circuits, one for "on", one for "off" so use a 556 IC.

Use a tap off the fan relay wiring parallel to fan as the input.

The direction change in the motor sounds like a power window motor.

It may be easier to use an Arduino with the tap off the fan wiring as an input.

Lastly, how is the switching from the shutter timer module performed? There might be some clues there.

deejaaa · 06-28-2015, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xist

.....Can I bypass the wireless setup and run a wire from the fuse box to the shutters?..........

I read all over the whole page, watched video and saw nowhere that mentioned wireless.
there is this:
"Removable timer module for easy programming and battery installation"
is yours diff than the one linked?
one review:
"It works, and the best of all, it is amazing platform to make your own mods! Just get this, and an arduino, and you can connect it to a smarthome!"
another:"I don't have one of these but believe it's a great idea and wanted to expand on the whole concept. First, as far as I've seen there's this one and the Activent; both do the same thing with the exception of the Activent having a remote control. However, it’s much more expensive at $60 per vent...."
finally:
"This thing is pretty awesome. Either standalone (you can set times it opens and closes) or working with an arduino A/C controller project. Very hackable if you're into that. If not, it's a great standalone product too!"

Xist · 06-28-2015, 11:48 AM

Deejaa, you are right, it is not a remote. Can I bypass it?

I looked at the unit for the first time. The metal seems sturdy, but as others have mentioned, I wondered if they will stay closed at speed. I will use my yard blower on them later.

I was wondering about Ford's system. In 2,012, people kept talking about how brilliant it was. Well, people on here had been trying to figure it out before Ford had it.

Some stuff that I found:

"When fully closed, the reduction in drag means that the Active Grille Shutter can reduce CO2 emissions by 2 per cent."

Quote:

With careful optimisation of aerodynamic details, it was possible to achieve a significant
reduction in drag compared to the previous Focus:
• 4-door – CD = 0.274 (was 0.304), reduced by 10 per cent
• 5-door – CD = 0.295 (was 0.318), reduced by 7 per cent

Grill Shutters - Page 2 - Focus Forum - Blue Oval Forums

They are called "Kysor Radiator Shutter" and someone showed a diagram including it and stated the replacement part was $607.

Reportedly, it became a standard feature that year.